Voices of Cordova: Social capital in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Since the 1960s, social science research has distinguished technological from natural disasters. Empirical evidence on disaster-related stress, social impacts of disasters, and risk have advanced our understanding of natural and technological disasters. However, there remains a critical need for synthesis of key concepts to advance theoretical development. This dissertation explores the capacity of social capital theory to integrate important conceptual elements of technological disaster research.;Focusing on the community of Cordova in Prince William Sound, Alaska, this research examines persistent social impacts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). Employing a mixed-method approach to explore relationships between social capital and existing technological disaster concepts, I analyze primary qualitative data collected through in-depth personal interviews and participant-observation, as well as extant quantitative data on social and psychological impacts of the EVOS.;This analysis reviews different conceptualizations of social capital, highlighting issues related to the following concepts: (1) the ecological-symbolic perspective; (2) renewable resource community; (3) recreancy; (4) collective trauma; (5) corrosive community; (6) lifestyle and lifescape change; (7) ontological security; and (8) secondary disasters. Research findings suggest that social capital theory integrates existing research on technological disasters. Findings also suggest that the EVOS initiated a social capital loss spiral, hindering Cordova's ability to take effective collective action to address local social and economic issues. Social capital loss spirals are related to: (1) individual stress and collective trauma, (2) a corrosive community, and (3) changes in lifestyle and lifescape. Although Cordovans do not attribute all of the community's ills to the EVOS, narratives described how initial social impacts depleted stores of social capital that have yet to recover. From this perspective, diminished social capital is a secondary disaster.;Communities experiencing technological disasters can employ social capital theory to enhance recovery by focusing on efforts to rebuild trust, associations, and norms of reciprocity. Conceptualizing social impacts using language of social capital theory can: (1) reduce stigma; (2) enhance survivors' beliefs about their ability to do something to restore social capital; and (3) improve opportunities for broader public support and policy change. Finally, social capital theory holds promise for natural disaster research.